Twenty Five Days
by DeckBeMine
Summary: Normally at each others throats, Shizuo suddenly has no desire to kill Izaya. And completely flabbergasted at why, Izaya is ready to pry and do the unthinkable to find out what's going on. And is a dream Shizuo's having connected to anything?
1. Chapter 1

_Even though it's passed the holidays but, hey, we're only human. So, this is going to be my first fan fic outside of Kingdom Hearts. So, let's hope this doesn't go horribly wrong. Enjoy!_

_. . ._

Twenty Five Days

. . .

Chapter 1: A Partridge In A Pear Tree

. . .

The snow fell upon the busy city of Tokyo. The people of the Ikebukuro district were going about their day taking care of business. One man in particular, going by the name of Orihara Izaya, stalked the streets this December first. Izaya was a man of callous and deceit. He only helped others if he got some kind enjoyment and or pleasure from it. For he loved humans, and loved to see them in every possible situation. So Izaya walked around causing several situations and problems with a verity of people. Needless to say he had several enemies who'd love to see him dead.

One of those men was none other than Heiwejima Shizuo, who calmly sat at the bar watching the news while smoking his cigarette and drinking his drink. Shizuo was waiting for his business partner Tanaka Tom to meet up with him to take care of some business. And that was his daily routine. Once in a while, that routine was broken by Izaya, who'd show up unannounced, filling Shizuo with rage and monstrous strength. During days like that, vending machines and street signs were victimized as they were thrown at the mischievous Izaya.

When Tom joins Shizuo, he pays for his drink and the two leave for work. Business carried on, a few people refused to pay their debts and got beat up and landed in the hospital, and others paid up the second Shizuo's name was mentioned by Tom. Again, another boring day for the blond man. But this day was bound to be that once in a while occasion Izaya shows his face to try and anger the blond.

Izaya walked the roof tops of the high risen buildings, his hood on his head trying to block the cold snow from covering his head. He stared down at the streets below watching out for the grumpy debt collector, hoping for quarrel. A smile cracked on his face once he stopped his target. The snow crunching under his feet, he sprinted towards a nearby alleyway to meet up with Shizuo.

"Ah!-What a perfect day for a gentle snow fall!" Izaya said tauntingly as he emerged from the alleyway. "Wouldn't you agree Shizu-chan?" Normally, this would be the part where falling object would try to strike him, but Izaya was greeted with nothing. He stood there dumb founded for a moment-thinking that maybe the guy with dyed blond hair maybe wasn't Shizuo, but when he looked over, he saw Tom walking next to him.

"Aw, has poor Shizu-chan finally given up?" There was no response to his taunt. "Shizuo?" Izaya quickly caught up with the blond blocking his path. "Did you not see me?"

Shizuo was blank faced. "Yeah-I did." He stepped passed Izaya and walked with Tom, who was completely taken aback, like Izaya that Shizuo wasn't, at this very moment trying to kill Izaya. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you today."

Izaya was left dumb founded in the frozen city street. In a way, one could describe his feelings as being similar to a child throwing a tantrum. He took out his frustrations on his secretary Namie. "Who does that bastard think he is?" Izaya ranted. "Ignoring me like that? The asshole!"

"So the king didn't get his way." Namie commented nonchalantly. "Maybe it's time to throw your stupid feud aside and grow up." She smiled sarcastically.

"Talk about boring." Izaya yawned turning his chair to look out at falling snow covering the district. "What could be wrong with Shizu-chan to make him act so calmly? Even just the mention of me is enough to make him throw people into buildings." The more Izaya thought about it, the more aggravated he became.

Since the first day they met, Shizuo has been trying to kill Izaya with a burning passion. The same went for Izaya, although, he liked to play with his food before eating it. He'd toy with Shizuo before trying to slice his throat. Shizuo didn't care; he'd kill first ask questions later. But today, he just flat out ignored Izaya, like he was just an ant crawling on the sidewalk. With a heavy groan, Izaya turned to his laptop and joined the chat room he often used to check up on gossip that was going around town.

"_So, today I heard that Heiwejima Shizuo walked passed Orihara Izaya and no one was hurt. Is that true?" _Someone typed.

"_Yeah. I saw the whole thing." _Izaya typed._ "It was pretty strange. Normally Heiwajima's trying to kill the guy. What's wrong with him?" _

"_Who knows?" _A second person typed._ "Maybe he was just under the weather and didn't feel like beating him to a pulp." _

"_Doubt it." _Third person.

"_Ditto." _Forth person._ "Everyone knows that Heiwejima could be stabbed in several times and still find the will power to get up and hunt down Orihara."_

"_Yeah." _Izaya typed._ "It still doesn't make sense though. Oh well, guess this city has anther mystery to solve."_

"_Sure, if you want to die." _

"_The bigger the risk, the more there is to be had." _Izaya smiled at himself._ "Well gotta go. Sleep safely everyone." _

Izaya logged of. So no one knew. This was going to be quite the mystery. He only hoped he didn't die before finding out what was Shizuo's illness.

Meanwhile, across the district, Shizuo was watching the chat room. So people noticed how he had acted earlier. He knew that not making a scene with Izaya would be a shocker to some people, but not big enough to make headlines He found it somewhat annoying. He shut his phone and laid back on is bed listening to the city outside. He pulled his box of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one. He knew smoking in bed was a habit he should break, but needed to just close his eyes and go to sleep and this was the only way he knew how.

That night, Shizuo dreamt the same recurring dream he had been having for the pasted few months since Izaya returned to Ikebukuro. The dream that was the driving force towards his actions towards Izaya. The dream wasn't bad, it's wasn't good, it was just-he didn't know. All he knew was that, he just wanted to keep his distance for Izaya. He also knew that neither Izaya nor anyone else could find out about it. But knowing the little flea, Izaya was going to stick his nose where it didn't belong.


	2. Chapter 2

_It continues. . . _

_. . ._

Chapter 2: Two Turtle Doves

. . .

Lightly the snow drifted passed Shizuo's face making him shiver. The people passed him as he walked the streets of Ikebukuro while he looked for something. What that something was, he didn't know. Maybe it was a gift for his brother? Or maybe he just wanted to beat the living shit out of someone or something. No, that wasn't it. He knew exactly who he was looking for and why. But it wasn't a good idea. He only wined up repeating yesterday's actions. And he wasn't sure he could do that a second time. He might actually do something kind of stupid.

When Shizuo came to the park where he'd always end up for some reason, he sat down on a bench and took out one of his cigarettes and lit it. He huffed out a puff of smoke before hearing a little whimper come up from by his feet. He looked down to find a black and white patched Shiba Inu puppy looking up at him. The thing was smaller than most of the puppies Shizuo passed on a daily basses and looked to be a little unhealthily thin. So feeling a little bit sorry for the poor thing, Shizuo picked up the freezing puppy and placed him in his coat to try and warm the poor thing up. The puppy whined at the contact at first, but feeling no threat from the uncaring debt collector, it soon settled down into the warmth of the inside coat.

Rubbing his head and finishing his cigarette, He scooped up the puppy and headed off back towards his apartment. Not far behind was the stalkerish Izaya spying Shizuo's every move. He took a mental note of the puppy, taking it into consideration that maybe the upcoming holiday was making him lonely though he really did doubt it.

Izaya followed Shizuo a few blocks before stopping when Shizuo stopped at Russia Sushi. He eyed the blond who was talking to Simon about something. Behind him, a crunching met his ears.

Izaya turned around meeting the glare of the helmet of the infamous Black Rider, Celty. "Well, are you a sight for sore eyes." Izaya greeted the headless woman.

"_I saw the chat room_." She typed onto her cell phone. "_Are you worried about Shizuo_?" Even though Celty couldn't speak, Izaya could hear the sarcasm in her voice.

"Now, now, let's not jump to conclusions." He rose his hands up in his defense. "Why-" Izaya swiftly slid up to Celty's side. "You wouldn't happen to know why he's been acting the way he has been do you?"

The way Celty's shoulders dropped indicated a sigh. "_No. I don't. But I do know he's been acting like this for some time now. Yesterday was just the first time he's really let it show how-what way he's feeling show._"

"Interesting." Before she could do anything, Izaya slithered away from the headless, Irish woman. Celty just shook her 'head' hoping that the slippery snake of an informer wasn't planning on doing anything stupid.

. . .

"Here we go little guy." Shizuo said placing the tiny little dog down on the sofa of his apartment. "Welcome home." The puppy sat down and wagged his tail. "Since you're going to be staying with me, I think the first we should do is name you."

The tiny dog barked, more like yapped, up at Shizuo. The little dog jumps off the sofa and scurries across the floor, running into the wall. With a forced smile plastered on his face, Shizuo shook his head. "Alright Djali it is." The puppy tilted its head, as Shizuo sat down at his kitchen/dining room table and lit a cigarette. His knew puppy wined and pawed at his leg. "I know, smoking's bad, but it helps keep stress down." The puppy yapped in agreement.

From then on was very uneventful. Shizuo just sat at home getting accustomed to his new puppy. The two ate dinner together and then just sat back and watched TV. After that, the dude with the monstrous strength got a shower and went to bed. The puppy, Djali, snuggled up next to him and fell asleep quickly. Shizuo however, took longer to fall asleep. It was like this every night. He'd sit in bed, tired yet wide awake. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and drift into sleep. But every time he did that, he would see _his_ face. The face of the person he hated most would cloud his mind and his voice would ring in his ears. Eventually, Shizuo's body took over and he drifted off. . .

Izaya was busy at work. He sat at his computer searching through document after document. Not sure what he was really looking for, but he was determined to find anything that would tell him why Heiwajima had been acting weird. Now of course running through someone's medical records was illegal and frowned-upon, but did that stop the sly little snake of a man that Orihara was? Oh no! He hacked his ways into many different files looking for anything with the name Heiwejima on it.

Then something caught his eye. "Ok, Shizu-chan, what are you hiding?" The file that came up showed an appointment with a psychiatrist dated about a week ago. "My, my, what is going on here?" The file didn't state much other than the basic information that any ID card would say. It wasn't much to satisfy Izaya's yearnings it was a good start. Now all the informer needed was the reason why Shizuo need to see a psychiatrist and he would be elated. . .

It was about three in the morning when Shizuo woke up from the dream. He was in a cold sweat and his lower extremities were all throbbing. With a heavy sigh, he ran his hands down and over his face. This was really starting to piss him off. He was getting tired of this night after night. He reached over to his bedside table and grabbed his phone. Normally he doesn't make phone calls in the middle of the night, but after months of this torture, he needed something to help him sleep, especially if Izaya was really going to start bugging him.

Shizuo dialed the number and was picked up on the fourth ring. "Shizuo, do you know what time it is?" The drowsy Kishitani Shinra asked whispering into his phone.

"Listen Shinra," Shizuo groaned. "Do you have anything to help sleep insomnia or anxiety?"

"I might." The underground doctor yawned. "What do you need them for?"

"Obviously sleep insomnia and anxiety, dumbass." Shizuo grumbled sitting up, trying not to disturb the sleeping puppy near his pillows.

"Hey-no need to be so grumpy. I'm sure I have something here." Shinra reassured while Shizuo lit a cigarette. "So just stop by here tomorrow and I'll give them to you."

"Alright. Thanks Shinra." Hanging up, Shizuo fell back on his pillows. He put over his cigarette and tried to go back to sleep . . .

Izaya in the other hand, after his little discovery, Izaya also found a dating profile site that Shizuo had set up months ago. So, in the name of his insanity, Izaya decided to set up a profile. What better way to screw with someone you hate than to screw with their love life? Cruel, yes. Did Orihara Izaya care, no. He was a cruel person. It was his job.

"Ok, Shizu-chan, let's see if Ms. Amayashi Sakura." Profile all set up, Izaya-or-Ms. Amayashi Sakura sent a friend request to Shizuo. After that, the informer bed to bed anxiously waiting for a response.


	3. Chapter 3

_It continues. . . _

_. . ._

Chapter 3: Three French Hens

. . .

Shizuo woke up on this cold December morning with a headache and wet sheets. He got up groggily to go outside for a smoke. With as cold as it was outside, who needs a cold shower? Little Djali followed sniffing the patio for a potty spot. After his smoke, Shizuo make a quick breakfast for him and Djali, then got in the shower to get ready for work.

Djali watched as his new master got ready to go beat up people. Just as Shizuo put on his shoes, Djali poked his into the small closet and pulled out a bowtie that had fallen. Shizuo just stared at the puppy sitting down at his feet. "No little guy, you have to stay here." The little puppy wined giving the rough looking debt collector a sad look. With a heavy sigh, Shizuo picked up his little buddy with the bowtie. "Alright, just stick close, and don't get in the way. Got it?" The little puppy barked happily as Shizuo tied the bowtie around the puppy's neck. It looked like he and Tom had a new partner to help them.

With a puppy at his, and cell phone in hand, Shizuo was out and about. Wondering if Shinra had sent him anything after their early morning chat, Shizuo checked his phone. He was slightly surprised to see a message from that dating site he forgot he had signed up for. Most people who read the name Heiwejima often just froze up in fear at thought of that sort of relationship. So it was pretty surprising to see a request from a Miss Amayashi Sakura. Figuring it would just be nice to talk to someone, he accepted the friend request and closed his phone, focusing his mind on the jobs ahead.

Meeting up with Tom outside the bath house, where they were given a tip to where their target was hiding. The first thing Tom noticed was the eight-inch tall puppy. "Shizuo, what is that?"

"A dog that found me in the park yesterday." Djali barked puffing out his chest to make him look bigger. "Thought we could use an attack dog." Tom laughed making the small animal pout.

"Whatever you say, man. Whatever you say." Tom led the way inside the bath house, the small dog at Shizuo's feet.

They found their target, a fat man who owed a good 300,000 yen. He greeted them pretty coldly, lighting the petty short fuse that Shizuo had. Tom calmly asked the man for the money, which the man blatantly said he pay up when he'd pay up. Then he made comment about Djali and that was it. Shizuo was off before Tom could warn the man about him. Quickly, Tom picked up Djali and moved out of the way of Shizuo's monstrous rage. The fat man was quickly acquainted with the flat screen that **was** hanging on the wall.

Outside again heading for their next job, Shizuo lit another cigarette. "Who's next on the list?" Shizuo asked.

"An old man who use to run an escort business." Tom said checking his phone. "I'm sure the ladies will love the puppy." The man with dreadlocks chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm sure they will." Shizuo rolled his eyes. "I never understood why woman obsessed over puppies and stuff like that."

"Maybe you just don't understand women."

"You're right, I don't." Shizuo opened his phone and showed Tom the message he received earlier. "See what I mean." Tom's eyes widened. He took off glasses and wiped them off and looked at the message again.

"Someone sent you a date request on that site?" The shook in Tom's voice was hard to mask. "I thought you only made that profile because you lost a bet."

"I did." The blond grumbled at the memory of losing that bet with Celty. "So what do you think I should do?"

"I say just talk and if this Amayashi girl doesn't sound like an idiot, than see if things should progress from there." Tom said. "And you know what; maybe this is what you need."

"What are you talking about?" The tall blonde man asked.

The shorter man sighed and ran his hand through his dreads. "Look, I'm just saying, maybe finding a nice girl and starting a family wouldn't be such a bad idea. Who knows, maybe it'd settle you down a bit."

Shizuo stopped for a second and stared down at the small dog at his feet taking in Tom's words. It's not that he'd never thought about it, it's just he never thought it was a good idea. The thing that really haunted him was the fact that if he did settle down and he got angry that he'd lose his temper. He feared the outcome of that loss of temper. It would be too great a risk and he didn't want to risk losing something he'd gone to care for. So then why did he always try to-

"Hey, are you listening?" Tom said breaking through Shizuo's thoughts.

"Not really." Tom shrugged and the two of them went to their next job. . .

Once again at home, Shizuo placed the bag of dog food in the kitchen and walked over to the cabinets to get out a bowl. After feeding Djali, Shizuo sat at the table with his laptop. He sat there for several minutes . . .

Back to this morning. . .

Izaya was wondering the snowy streets looking for the blond man that he hated so much. He was really getting tired of this. But why? What was the reason for this need to see this other man? Normally when two people hate each other, they avoid each other. So why was it so important for them to run into each other? Izaya couldn't answer it himself. All he knew was that he didn't like to be ignored by Shizuo. He felt, very empty from the lack of negative attention. Sulkingly, Izaya sat down on the nearby bench kicking the snow. "Dammit Heiwejima! Where are you?" The man in the fur coat growled.

During his sulking, Izaya felt a vibration in his pants. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. A message reading 'Heiwejima Shizuo accepted your request' popped up. A wide smirk crept onto the flea's face. "Well Shizu-chan, looks like we get to play after all." That smirk that crept onto his face soon faded the second Izaya felt a strange clutching in his chest. What was this feeling? And why did it feel enjoyable? More than a little scared, Izaya ran off towards the one person he knew might have that answer.

"Izaya?" A very surprised underground doctor asked. "What brings you here?"

"Listen, I have a question." Izaya stepped passed Shinra and plopped down on his couch. "I'm sure you've heard of the event about Shizuo and me."

"I have, and may I say wow!" Shinra said putting the kettle on the stove. "Maybe he's finally letting go of all that hatred of you."

"I doubt it." Izaya squinted his eyes.

"Yeah, you're probably right. So what did you want to ask?"

Izaya was quiet for a moment. "I sent a message to Shizu-chan; just as a prank. Then after getting the reply, I felt this squeezing in my chest. What is that?"

Shinra was intrigued. He poured two cups of tea and handed one to Izaya before sitting down. "Well, I'm not sure. Want to tell me more?"

Izaya sipped his tea. "I guess you could say that I get a certain amount of enjoyment when Shizu-chan and I fight. It makes me very irritable when he ignores me. I can't explain it, but it just makes me so-so mad!"

"Izaya-now just listen-this is going to sound very strange." Shinra rose his hands in defense. "But have you ever thought that maybe you are . . . in love with Shizuo?" Izaya froze and the whole room seemed to go silent. Izaya just stared at Shinra with shocked eyes.

Then Izaya just started laughing. He laughed so hard that it hurt to breathe. "Oh-Shinra-you are too funny!" Izaya managed after a good long laugh.

"I wasn't joking, Izaya." Izaya stopped laughing. "See, your symptoms match the emotions and effects of being in love. When you see Shizuo, how do you feel? When you hear his name, what do you think? When think about him, what do you do? If you can answer these three questions with something positive and honest, it proves that you're in love. So let's test it out." Shinra put down his tea and picked up a pen and note pad. "Ok, so when you hear the name 'Heiwejima Shizuo, what do you think?"

'_What do I think?'_ Izaya thought to himself. He sat back on the couch and thought about it. Heiwejima Shizuo. . . A smile, a small one, but still a smile crawled on his face. Shinra noted it and wrote it down: 1) smiles.

"Ok, now when you see Shizuo, how do you feel?" Shinra asked getting really excited. Izaya sighed and relaxed a bit.

"When I see him?" He closed his eyes. "I get excited. I-I get this rush of adrenalin and pleasure, I love it." The word love came out with a sigh.

"Mhm. Mhm." Went the scratching of Shinra's pen. "Now, when you think about him, what happens?"

Izaya shrugged. His hand fell to his waist and he slouched down. "Now, all I can think about is 'how dare he ignore me!'. I don't like him ignoring me! And now it seems he's avoiding me! What gives?"

Shinra sat still for a few minutes gathering his thoughts before speaking. "Now, after all that, you still think that you're not in love?" Izaya's face completely changed. His eyes widened and mouth shrank. Then it happened again. The clutching his chest started again. Then his heart started to race. Was it true? Was he in love with the very guy he despised? It all made sense, yet it doesn't. How could he love someone he hated? It was all very confusing.

After leaving Shinra's, he was left with more questions then answers. Izaya just stood there in the cold snow, very confused, very scared, and very much alone. What was he going to do? He couldn't just walk up to Shizuo and put Shinra's theory to the test. Though he'd very much like to. He just knew it wasn't the best idea.

That night he checked his computer. A message from Shizuo to Amayashi Sakura, the girl that Izaya was posing as, showed up. Izaya opened it,

"_Hello Amayashi-kun._"

Izaya smiled. "_Hello Heiwejima-san. How are you today?_"

"_I don't really know. I'm not angry, which is pretty good, I guess. How about you?_"

"_I'm great, now that I'm talk to someone. You see, I've been feeling pretty lonely lately._"

"_Really? Why's that?_"

Izaya stopped for a moment. What was a believable story? Without a thought, he started typing. "_Well, there's this guy that I know and kinda liked has just been completely ignoring me. And what sucks is that we're so close, it hurts knowing that he's not talking to me._"

"_Wow, he sounds like a jerk. What type of guy is he?_"

The conversation went back and forth. Sure, Izaya had to make some stuff up to continue the conversation, but he found it really easy to talk to Shizuo. So easy he began to wonder if he was really talking to the monstrous blond he knew all too well. Also, he began to feel a yearning that in his chest every time he sent a response to Shizuo and anxiously waited for the next response. And when the conversation ended and they said their goodbyes.

Izaya went to bed, but failed to find sleep. Instead he was plagued by his bodily functions. All night he tossed and turned before getting up and jumping into a cold shower. Only after that, did Izaya fall asleep. And started to caught a cold.


	4. Chapter 4

_It continues. . . _

_. . ._

Chapter 4: Four Calling Birds

. . .

December forth, and Shizuo was just sitting at home bored. Then his phone rings, startling his little puppy. "Kasuka calling?" He pushed the button to answer his phone. "Hey Kasuka. What's up?"

"Hey Shizuo." His little brother greeted relaxed. "So, I'm going to be in Ikebukuro today, I was kinda hoping we could meet up for lunch or something."

"Sure, I'm not doing much of anything, so I guess we could meet up." Djali pawed at Shizuo's face.

"Great. How about that _Russia Sushi_ place?" The younger brother asked.

"Yeah, that's fine. Is about twelve ok?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll see you there." Kasuka hung up leaving his brother alone with his puppy.

Shizuo got out of bed and got showered. He sat at the kitchen table and opened his laptop. He checked the dating site wondering if Sakura was on, but she wasn't. Not really all that concerned, he closed his laptop and turned his attention to his still sleeping puppy.

Djali was given a bath and groomed like the spoiled little dog he was going to become. Shizuo wasn't one to show emotions, so no one knew that he loved dogs. Big or small, Shizuo enjoyed their company. So he bathed his little puppy, brushed him, and then tied a black and white checkered scarf around his neck. "Come on little guy, we're going out for the day."

For once, in regular clothes, gray hoodie sweatshirt, black jeans, and a scarf, Shizuo and Djali were out the door. . .

That morning, Izaya was slow to rise. That was mostly due to his tossing and turning all night last night. Shinra's words kept echoing in his mind. Along with playing images of Shizuo with him in ways that were very intimate and taboo to most societies. And every time, after waking up, he'd try to go back to sleep, those images - those taboo images haunted his sleep. As he rose for his unpeaceful rest, Izaya tried so hard to suppress those images from his mind.

While standing in the shower wetting the warm water pour over his body, Izaya felt very dizzy and light headed. He lifted his hand to his forehead and sighed. Great, he was catching a cold. Feeling very light headed, he shut off the water and dried off and got dressed. He was half way tempted to just go back to sleep, but he had work to do.

Pushing through his drowsy state, Izaya was able to make some tea and rice. After the small breakfast, Izaya was out and about. Sure, going out in the snow wasn't a good idea for his cold, but when there are bills to pay and humans to screw around with, Izaya was there, regardless of his situation. . .

"Ah-Shizuo, you come back!" Simon, the large black, Russian male that worked at the sushi joint greeted Shizuo. "And how is your new friend?" Djali wagged his tail as Simon petted his head.

"He just fine." Shizuo said. "Listen, I'm meeting up with someone here. His name's Yuuhei Hanejima."

"Yuuhei?" Simon scratched his head. "Ah-yes! He's in room over there." Simon pointed to a private room that the small restaurant had. "I help you shortly."

"Ok, thanks." Shizuo entered the back room and joined his brother Kasuka. "Hey."

"Hey. What's with the fur ball?" Kasuka asked as Shizuo sat down at the table with his brother. Djali ran up to Kasuka who scratched behind his ears.

"Just a stray I picked up on the streets. Name's Djali." Shizuo smiled as he watched his little brother play with the Shiba Inu puppy.

Simon gave the young men their sushi, with a side order for the puppy. They thanked Simon and continued with their small talk. "So what brings you back to town?"

"Honestly, I just wanted to see you." Kasuka smiled. "I wasn't going to be around for the holiday season, so I wanted to spend some time with you."

Shizuo was a little touched. "I was hoping to send time with you to, Kasuka."

Kasuka smiled. As they ate their lunch, the brothers made small talk about the new movie Kasuka was starring in. Though he never mentioned it, Shizuo was really proud of his brother. He hadn't inherited his monstrous strength and was still holding his first steady job. Unlike his older brother, Kasuka wasn't really the emotional type. He did love his brother and wanted him stay out of trouble and hopefully settle down.

"Shizuo, have you ever thought about getting married?" Shizuo nearly choked on his tea at his brother's question.

"Where did that come from?" Shizuo coughed.

"Well, it's just that you're getting older and I think it'd be good for you." If it hadn't been Kasuka asking, Shizuo would have told the person 'fuck no', but it was his brother so, he'd let this one slide. "And besides, marriage makes people happy so . . . maybe. . ."

"Well, to tell you the truth," Shizuo stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts. "I was talking to another person about this, and she thinks that I might be in love with another person."

Kasuka's eyes lit up. "Really? Shizuo, that's great! Mind me asking who it is?"

Shizuo just sighed. "Not really sure I should say anything about but I guess if you promise to keep it a secret." Kasuka nodded. He was one to keep his word so Shizuo told him.

"No way! You're serious about that?" Kasuka was shocked. Who'd have thought?

"That's what I said. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense, so I just accepted it."

"Any idea on how you're going to confess you're love?" Kasuka was really taking this well.

Shizuo just sighed. "Look, I'm clueless on that matter. Besides, I have a reputation to keep."

"Yeah. Heiwejima Shizuo, the most feared man in Ikebukuro and most foul tempered." Shizuo almost blushed and shook his head.

"Exactly. So really, confessing-it's a bit out of the question."

It was Kasuka's turn to sigh. "If you say so. But I defiantly think you should make the first move." His brother winked at him. Shizuo just shook his head.

Izaya wasn't doing so hot. Sure, his slight fever was burning him up, but that was the problem. His fever was getting worse and it was quite the walk back home. He wasn't sure if he was going to make it. So instead of calling for help, he decided to sit down for a moment at the park and try clear the fuzziness of his head. It wasn't long thought before Izaya's fever got the better of him and he passed out. . .

"Izaya?" A voice echoed in his ear. A voice he was all too familiar with.

"Shizu . . . chan. . ." Unable to come up with a snappy remark or comeback and in full knowledge that he was in trouble muttered a whisper. "Help-Shizuo-chan."

Shizuo and Djali were left in the snow with two choices. This was a perfect chance to leave Izaya here to die, which was Shizuo's greatest desire since junior high. So why not leave the flea here? Because that would be the wrong this to do. Or would it be the right thing? Shizuo didn't. He just went with his instincts. He picked up Izaya and took a walk down to a certain doctor's house.

"Shizuo?" Shinra greeted him with a shook of the fever stricken Orihara in his arms. "What the hell?"

"The damn idiot seems to have a really bad fever. And he's being an idiot and walking around in the snow." Shizuo stepped past Shinra and laid Izaya on the sofa. "He's all yours."

"Oh ok." Shinra rushed over to Izaya, pulling out a thermometer to check his temperature.

"One last thing, I was never here. Celty found him and brought him here. Got it?" With the look Shizuo gave him that said _want-to-live_, Shinra just nodded. And Shizuo and Djali were on their way. . .

With a heavy sigh, Shizuo plopped down on his bed. First he completely ignores Izaya and refuses to get angry with him right in his face. Then he goes out of his way to help Izaya as he's lying in the park with a high fever. What was wrong with him? No, he knew what was wrong, but he wasn't going to do anything about it. He was just going to go to sleep, and hope that the pills Shinra gave him yesterday work and help him sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_It continues. . . _

_. . ._

Chapter 5: Five Golden Rings

. . .

"Shizu . . . chan. . ." Unable to come up with a snappy remark or comeback and in full knowledge that he was in trouble muttered a whisper. "Help-Shizuo-chan." That was the last thing Izaya remembered happening before he felt a warm, strong pair of arms around him. His fever frying his brain, he figured he was imaging the voice of Shizuo saying how dumb and stupid he was for wondering Ikebukuro in the snow with a cold. But that was the last thing on Izaya's mind. He just kept focus on the heartbeat of the person carrying him. It was a fast paced beating. He beating was like a soothing melody that made drift into sleep. . .

"Shizu-chan . . . Shizu-can . . . Shizu-can . . ." Izaya mumbled.

"And you say you're not in love Shizuo?" Izaya's eyes flew open to find Shinra standing over him with a wide smile. "You know, you talk in your sleep." Izaya went to sat up and felt really nauseous. "Wooh! Hold on, you shouldn't be moving. Here lay back down." Izaya didn't have much of a choice. If he sat up, he felt like he was going to blow chunks. Shinra must have read his mind, because he placed a bucket by the sofa.

"How did I get here?" Izaya asked rubbing his forehead.

"Celty found you in the park yesterday while doing her runs." Shinra said. "You were in pretty bad shape. It took a good few hours to get your fever down."

"Really?" Now he felt his stomach starting to churn. So he figured he'd sit up and just get it over with.

After emptying the contents of his stomach, Shinra made Izaya some herbal tea to help settle Izaya's stomach. After a few minutes, Izaya caught his breath and took a sip of tea. "So Shinra, want to tell me why you lied?"

"Lied about what?" Shinra tried to keep his face blank.

"I know Shizu-chan brought me here. I know his voice anywhere."

"And you still claim you're not in love with him?" Shinra countered. Izaya's eyes just flashed with a hint of panic.

"I am not!" Izaya snapped. "I hate the man with a burning passion!"

Shinra sighed setting a plate of steamed vegetables and rice out in front of Izaya. "Back to our questionnaire. Are you gay?"

"No." Izaya said picking up the plate.

"Have you ever 'experimented' with other males?" Izaya just looked at Shinra blank faced.

"There was a moment in junior high where all the guys in the locker room were comparing themselves with each other." Izaya sighed. "Then I lost a bet and did something I'm not proud of." Shinra just went wide eyed.

"Um. . . Have you ever slept-with anyone?" The questionnaire had gotten really awkward.

"You know very well I don't have time for that." Izaya grumbled a bit. "I love humans, but not that much."

"Well, since you love humans so much, why not love them to that extent? Why not fall in love, get married, and start a family? What could be so wrong with that?"

"That answer's simple. The family life, not my thing. I live to come and go as I please. Not having any worries or responsibilities. And say in the event I do settle and have kids, what if I get bored? I have an affair and then go through nothing but nonsense and headaches, some the woman leaves me. Or, we get married, have say, two kids, she gets bored and just leaves. Then I'm stuck with two kids I'm more or less just going to grow to hate." Izaya just put the plate of vegetables and rice back down on the coffee table. He didn't feel up like eating.

"But that's only looking at the negatives." Countered Shinra. "Try looking at the positives. As cruel as it sounds, after having children, you can raise them to be just like you. And who knows, maybe they'll even be able to beat up Shizuo, or be like your twin sisters." Shinra wasn't too keen on the idea of Izaya have kids like his incestuous twin sisters Mairu and Kururi.

"Ah yes-now that would be interesting." Izaya stumbled to his feet.

Shinra jumped up to push him back down. "Oh-no. You're not going anywhere." Shinra scolded him. "You still have a slight fever and it's way too cold for you to go home in the snow." Not in the mood to argue, Izaya just laid back down and tried to drown out the sound of Shinra's useless babble. At some point, he's not sure when, he fell asleep. . .

When he woke up again, it was to his phone buzzing. He answered it to find a message from Shizuo. "How am I today?" Izaya read out loud.

"_I'm feeling a bit under the weather, but other than that I'm fine. How about you?_" Izaya typed on his keyboard.

"_Can't really complain. Had lunch with my brother yesterday, it was pretty nice._"

"_Aw-that's so sweet. What did you guys do?_"

"_We mostly just talked. My brother thinks I should settle down, get married, and start a family. But that's a little complicated._"

Izaya cracked a smirk on his face. "_Why's that, if you don't mind me asking._"

"_Kind of odd really, but there's this guy I know, and he seems to have caught my attention._"

"_Oh really? So does that mean that you're-?_"

"_A homosexual? Not sure really._" The conversation went back and forth. And the whole while, Izaya felt curiosity biting at his mind. He wanted to know more. Who was this person of which Shizuo spoke? One way to find out.

"_So this other person, who is he?_" Izaya waited anxiously for his answer, half way expecting an answer really. Then his phone beeped. The answer he got was kinda shocking.

"_He's a man I detest._" That's pretty much where the conversation ended and left Izaya wondering who the detested man was. There were a lot of people Shizuo hated, him being at the top of the list. Wait-was it possible?

"Shinra, are you-?" Instead of finding Shinra, he found Celty. "Oh, hello Celty."

"_How are you feeling?_" She typed on her phone.

"Better than this morning. Do you think you could do me a favor?"

Celty was a tad suspicious of the grin on Izaya's face. "_Depends on what it is._"

"I need you to gather some information for me."

"_What kind of information?_"

"It appears Shizu-chan has a little crush on somebody." Celty filched in surprise.

"_No way! Who is it?_" The headless rider typed quickly on her phone.

"That's the mystery. Think you could dig something up?"

"_No problem!_" Even though she had no head, Celty sure could convey her emotions.

"Also, do you think you could you could give me a ride home?" Izaya scratched the back on his head.

"_Sure thing._" The two hopped onto the back of Celty's 'horse' and were off. "_Shizuo needs my help with something tonight. I'll see if I can get some info. But can I ask you something?_"

"What is it?" Izaya clutched his coat to his chest.

"_Why is it so important for you to know who Shizuo likes?_"

Izaya felt his face getting a little hot. "I just like knowing things." Izaya waved Celty off. Still holding her suspicions, Celty drove off to meet up with Shizuo. And the first thing Izaya did when he was home, plop on his bed and went back to sleep. . .

The horse-like rumble of Celty's bike rang through the district of Ikebukuro. Shizuo turned around as the Black Rider approached him. "Evening Celty."

"_Where's the new puppy?_" Celty asked.

"Back home." Shizuo said finishing his cigarette. "I hear bikes and dogs don't really mix well."

"_Aw-How thoughtful._" Shizuo just shook his head and mounted the bike. The job was simple, transport a mobster for point A to point B. Shizuo got to beat up some people, as if that were a surprise. So all-in-all, nothing special. They stopped at the Ikebukuro Bridge just to talk. "_So, rumor has it that a certain debt collector has been eyeing somebody. Is it true?_"

"I'm not sure. Tom's kinda secretive about his love life." Shizuo said.

"_I wasn't talking about Tom._" If Celty had a head, she'd be smirking. "_So who is it? Do I know 'im_?"

"How did-who told you?" Celty started laughing in her own special way.

"_So it is true? Who is it?_" Celty asked again.

Shizuo mulled it over for a few seconds before turning back to Celty. "It's someone who you'd least expect it to be."

"_You're not going to tell me, are you?_" Shizuo shook his head. "_Why not? It's not like I can say anything._" Shizuo just kept quiet. "_Fine, don't tell me. But can you at least tell why you helped Shizuo?_" Shizuo lowered was quiet for a moment before taking Celty's phone and typing his response. Theoretically, Celty's eyes went wide. In a split second her fingers blew up her keyboard. "_Are you-are you serious? I thought you-_"

"Life's funny that way." Shizuo turned to walk away. "One more thing Celty, don't say anything, please."

The Headless Rider sighed. "_Ok. I promise. But have you thought about telling him? I mean-he might feel the same way._"

"Tell you what, find proof that he feels the same and maybe I'll think about it." Celty watched as Shizuo walked through the cold winter night before returning home to a waiting Shinra . . .

Shizuo returned home and was greeted by his puppy, Djali. After getting showered and taking some meds, he went to bed. He was met with a dream about the lover he desired so much. Every time he had the dream, he felt his desire grow. Only, he didn't feel he should, just for the sake of keeping his heart safe. But Celty's words floated in the back of his mind.


	6. Chapter 6

_It continues. . . _

_Dear Kasume-sama, that's kinda the whole point. But you are on the right track._

_. . ._

Chapter 6: Six Flying Signs

. . .

Who knew that when you have a cold you could get an erection while you're sick-Izaya didn't. He woke up with a very throbbing lower appendage. And guess who he blamed-Heiwejima Shizuo. He was really getting tired of this. Last night, and for the past few nights, he had been having these very weird dreams about being in bed with Shizuo. Touching him, kissing him, and loving him. It was all very unappealing to the information broker. But also, it was very pleasurable. Deciding he'd just do laundry later, Izaya took care of his needs right there.

Afterwards he just laid there for a few moments before getting up to take shower, this time warm, since he didn't want to end up a Shinra's again. While asleep, he really this odd feeling that he was being watched with the desire to be cut open. After his warm shower, he quickly, and warmly, got dressed and sat down at his computer. Namie gave him the messages that had stacked up from his absence and he went to work. Which he quickly grew bored with. So what better way to cure his boredom than to pose as Ms. Amayashi?

He logged onto that dating site and sent Shizuo a message. "_Being sick sucks worse than having a vending machine hit you in the head._"

"_That's an interesting statement 'Amayashi'._" Izaya cocked an eyebrow. "_That's not your real name, is it?_"

"_No point in lying, you're right. My name isn't Amayashi Sakura. But what gave it away?_"

"_Simple really. Background check. There are no records of a person with that name in Ikebukuro. The only person with that name lives in Nagoya. So want to tell me your real name?_"

"_Only if you tell me who you're in love with. Fair deal?_"

"_Not really._"

"_What if I guess? Will you tell me then?_" A smirk started to grow on Izaya's face.

"I'll think about it." Shizuo typed. "Right, I have people in need beat up. I guess we'll talk later. . . Kanra." Kanra? Was that the pen name Shizuo was giving him? That was the name he used for the chat room. So why-did Shizuo know? Had the blond figure it out so quickly? Izaya became very suspicious of Shizuo and decided that another day of stalking was called for. . . Or better yet, while Shizuo was out and about, he'd stop by Shizuo's apartment. Yup, that was the plan. And it was just that-a plan. The second Izaya stepped out the door, he walked back inside. It was a little chilly out-ok, it was freeze your ass off cold! So, throwing on an extra sweater and pair of socks with his coat, and Izaya was off.

He was extra careful not to run into Shizuo. Izaya was completely sure why Shizuo wasn't out to kill him lately. Maybe once he was over he'd try really hard to piss off Shizuo and see if that was just a phase. But then again, he did help him. Shizuo possibly saved Izaya's life. Great way to repay someone who saved your life. Izaya sighed. He'd worry about repaying his debt latter. He had a mystery to solve.

Now at Shizuo's apartment, Izaya took out his switch blade and used it to pry the window open. He snuck into through the open window and was met with a high pitched yap. Just turning around and looking at his feet, Izaya just raised his eye brow. "And what is a little thing like you doing here? You'd think that since Shizuo was an animal enough, he didn't need a dog." Izaya just stepped past Djali walking into the living/study room. There sitting on coffee table was Shizuo's computer. Slithering on over to the little black laptop, popped it open, and turned it on. Scrolling through the documents, Izaya found something reading 'Journal'. Izaya clicked on it and started reading with the little puppy staring him down.

After about ten sentences, Izaya had read everything he needed to. He closed the document, shut off the computer, and headed back towards the window. He existed and left the complex. Not sure where to go and stitch his thoughts together, the flea just went to the famous 'Russia Sushi'. He sat down at the counter and sighed.

"Here you go!" Simon said handing Izaya some hot green tea. "Tea good for cold. It make cold go away."

"Thanks." Izaya said, careful not to touch the glass. "Think you could whip up some spicy tuna?"

"Sure! No problem." Simon started cutting up the fish when he noticed Izaya was not in his usual chipper zone. "What is problem, Izaya?"

"Huh-it's nothing really." Simon knew better.

"Something is eating you. You tell Simon what' wrong." Izaya could tell Simon wasn't going to let his die.

"Well, I was gathering information on something, and just found something a little bit confusing." Izaya sighed. "That's about it though."

"What so confusing?" Izaya just shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it.

After a pretty good and spicy lunch, Izaya was on his way. The whole time just thinking about those ten sentences. Dammit! Why did he have to read that? This wasn't how it was supposed to be? Huh-

Shizuo and Tom were walking through Ikebukuro, heading towards their next job when Shizuo noticed Izaya walking somberly just ahead of them. Shizuo stopped when he came next to a vending machine debating whether or not to throw it at the guy. But then again, what would that do? The guy was sick-but clearly not sick enough to stay home. Was he trying to get himself killed?

As if Izaya could hear Shizuo thoughts, he turned around and their eyes met. Izaya's face got hot, but he cucked it up to him just having cold. Shizuo just looked away fixing his sunglasses. Izaya's dark brown, almost red looking, eyes fell to the surrounding snow. He shook his head and bolted away from Shizuo, who was now the confused one. Any other time, this would be the part where Orihara starts mocking him. So this was pretty odd. All though the quiet was pretty nice.

Tom just looked back and forth between the two before just letting it go and moving on with his life. . .

Can't say the same for Izaya. After about a block or so, he stopped running, his eyes on the verge of tears. But why? It's not like there was anything worth crying about . . . Or was there? He didn't believe what he read. There was no way it was true. And he was going to prove it . . . after his cold! He stumbled home through the cold snow.


	7. Chapter 7

_It continues. . . _

_. . ._

Chapter 7: Seven Girls Obsessing Over a Younger Brother

. . .

The next day at around noon, after a night and half (not really) a bottle of Nyquil, Izaya was back to trailing Shizuo. That was until he was caught and found a trashcan imprint on his forehead. This is in the middle of an abandon lot near a cosplay and manga store across the street from a roman Shoppe.

Shizuo clearly pissed off stood over Izaya, now lying on the ground. He huffed and puffed as Izaya tried to sit up. "Wow-what took so long Shizu-chan?" Izaya was lifted off the ground by a pair of fists griping onto the collar of his coat.

"So I go home yesterday and your stink is all over my apartment. Care to explain why?" Shizuo growled.

"I was simply gathering information, Shizu-chan." Izaya smirked. "That is my job, remember?"

So just because you're an info broker, it gives you the right to just go through my private environment?" Shizuo was clearly irritated, and Izaya was way too close to him to slither his way out of this.

"Um-if it helps-I didn't find anything worth wild!"

"But you still found something-right?"

_Shit!_ Izaya thought to himself. "Yeah-an adorable little puppy! Ha-ha!" Shizuo wasn't buying it.

"What did you really find besides my dog?" There was never anything funny in Shizuo's being when it came to Izaya. And there sure as hell wasn't anything funny now, but there was something besides hate. What was it? Then Izaya saw it. The thing he feared he'd find and his heart started racing. Sensing Izaya's fear, Shizuo let him go. "If I catch you by my place again, you're going to know what it's like to fly."

"I think I'm half way there." Izaya mumbled as he started seeing spots. "Hey Shizu-chan, want to walk me home?" Ok, Izaya has lost it.

"What! Take yourself home!" Shizuo tried to ignore the annoying flea near his side.

"Come now, Shizu-chan. Just help a poor sick man home." Izaya smirked. "It'll be good for your chi."

"And what if I told you didn't believe in chi?"

Izaya could only chuckle. "Then I'd call you a liar." And Shizuo wasn't one really for lying. So, good chi and karma won him over. . .

It wasn't that long a walk to Shinjuku, usually about twenty minutes or so, but with a straggly moron who couldn't stay in bed till his cold was over and done with, Shizuo's walk took about a good hour. Mostly because he was trying to dodge curious on lookers. Once at the sly dog's apartment, Shizuo was finally glad to be rid of the little pest. Or so he thought.

Either Izaya was getting another fever, or he was just plain stupid. He was stabled enough to unlock the door, and stupid enough to fall the second it was opened. Shizuo just sighed. "You're home now. I'm sure you can take care of yourself."

Izaya blow the hair out of his face and sat up. "Can't you at least help me inside?" Shizuo just stared at him as Izaya staggered his way to his feet. And even though Shizuo just wanted to walk away, he still helped Izaya inside, only shortening his short fuse.

Once inside, Shizuo sat Izaya on the couch. The whole time in his arms, Izaya listen to Shizuo's heartbeat. The rhythm of it almost put him sleep. And the warmth form Shizuo's body mad him want to cuddle closer. But that was just asking to get punched . . . or was it?

Just as Shizuo was about to leave, Izaya stood up from the couch raising a hidden blade to Shizuo's neck. "Why are you helping me all of a sudden?" Shizuo just turned his head. "All you ever wanted to do since junior high is kill me. Why the fuck would that change all of a sudden?" Izaya's tone was very demanding.

"I'm just following Simon's advice. Fighting is bad after all." Shizuo's eyes were blank.

"That's a load of shit." Izaya's hands started shaking.

"Why do _you_ care so much? I mean, what do _you_ get out of it?" Izaya was taken aback. What did he get out knowing? What was he going to do? Was everything going to go back to normal? Or were things going to change? One could only guess. But whatever the reason, Izaya wanted the truth. And he was going to get it. But before he could act, the heard his front door shut. He felt his heart sink. But why?

But why-a question Izaya was really getting sick of. . .

_He felt like he was flying. Flying through the dark blue night sky with the one he loved. The one whose smile he loved dearly. The one whose eye were burning and alive. Them being together, it felt so right, despite what others said. They loved each other. And that it was going to stay. . . _

When Izaya woke up the night morning, it was to his phone ringing. In his drowsy state, he just answered it. "Hello?"

"_Is this Orihara Izaya?_" A gangster wanna-be asked.

"It all depends on who's asking." Izaya sat up and rubbed his eyes.

The person on the other end laughed. "_I'm not going to bother introducing myself, because that'd be a waste of time. So I'm going to cut to the chase. Word on the street is that the great Heiwajima Shizuo seems to be cooling down that hot head of his._"

Izaya yawned. "And this has what to do with me?"

"_Glad you asked! See, we've got Heiwajima right here!_" Izaya's eye widened. "_So if the rumors I hear are true, than your best bubby is running out of time. And let me give you an idea of what I mean._" Izaya listened in terror as Shizuo let out a skin crawling scream. "_Now that was just a warning._"

"What do want?" Izaya's voice was a little more frantic than he wanted.

"_First, bring a total 100,000,000 yen down to the Ikebukuro docks. And second, come alone. Fallow these instructions and Heiwajima goes free. You have till the thirteenth. Everyday afterwards, a new bone gets broken._" The line went dead and Izaya went silent.


	8. Chapter 8

_It continues. . . _

_. . ._

Chapter 8: Eight Rolls of Sushi

. . .

At first, Izaya didn't know what to do. One hundred million yen-that's the amount that was demanded. Ok-no problem. He knew how to get the money. But what he didn't know was how to a sure that Shizuo wasn't going to die. Normally, he'd chuck it up to Shizuo pulling his leg, but being somewhat of a sadist, he knew that what he heard of the phone was real. And that's what scared him. But why? Why did he care? The questions would have to worry. Right now he needed help.

So, once again, we visit the home of Celty Sturluson and Kishitani Shinra.

"Izaya?" Shinra seemed pretty surprised. "How's your cold?"

"Not important." Izaya stepped past Shinra

"How is that not important? You were running a 106.8 fever the other day!" Shinra squabbled.

Izaya just turned around and glared at him. "Because Shizu-chan's in trouble." The room fell silent.

"_Do you know what's going on?_" Celty asked standing up.

"Not much, other than that some idiot gang decided to write their death wish." Izaya could feel eyes on the back of his head. "They're asking for a ransom, and if they don't get it-let's just say that Shizu-chan's not going to be throwing vending machines any time soon."

"_How much are they asking?_"

"Don't worry about it. I have the money. That's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you here?" Shinra asked wiggling his eyebrow. "What could you possibly need help with?" Celty, not literally speaking, shook her head.

"_Will you stop that? This is serious!_" Celty quickly typed on her keyboard.

"But Celty, don't you find it curious as to why he's telling us this with concern?" Yeah, she was curious, but she wasn't worried about that right now. Now she was worried Shizuo, the person that was possibly dying right now! 'All' eyes fell on Izaya.

"You're not going to start that are you?" The one in the furry coat sighed.

"Are you still going to deny the truth?" Shinra countered.

"There's nothing to deny!" The tone in Izaya's voice was more than a little emotional. "When are you going to drop it?"

"When you-"

"_ENOUGH!_" Celty had had it. "_Look, sitting here doing nothing is only allowing time to ticks on by with Shizuo's life's in danger! What is wrong with you?_" The two young men just looked at her. "_I don't know about you, but I'm going to go look for Shizuo._"

"Celty, you can't!" Izaya grabbed her wrist as she tried to pass him.

"_Why not?_"

"Like typical terms of an agreement, I bring the ransom to the docks alone." Izaya walked over towards the window to watch the snow fall over the gloomy looking city. "But I'm not going alone. Celty, I want you to come with me so that way Shizu-chan can quickly get to hospital, or if it gets real ugly, back to the pervert you live with."

Shinra grinned proudly. "And what about me? Is this where you tell me that I play doctor?"

A smirk rose on Izaya's face. "Yup. Unless you can beat the shit out of people." Izaya said heading towards the door. Celty followed. The two of them mounted Celty's 'horse' and were off. . .

Shizuo laid on the stone cold ground. He was in pain as the possible infection was running through his leg. These bastards, they were all dead the second he was able to stand.

The nitwits, unaware of Shizuo plotting their demise, laughed and high fived each other.

"Dude! That was so fucking awesome!"

"I know! Not only will we be swimming in cash, but Heiwajima will be off the streets!"

Shizuo groaned. These morons had no idea. Not that he could do much. The only thing Shizuo could do was lie there and hope that Izaya didn't hate him as much as he let on. . .

Izaya's plan was simple. Stop by the bank and withdraw the funds. After that they'd head off to the docks and where Izaya would dismount and leave Celty to hide near the cargo boxes. Once he paid the ransom, he would grab Shizuo and run. If a fight were to happen, he'd fight and he had Celty for backup if needed. The plan was laid out, now to put it into action. . .

The ride to the docks seemed to have gone by in slow motion. Either Izaya's heart was racing or his adrenalin was really coursing through his blood. Everything pasted by like it would in the movies. The lights blurred, objects passed by slower, and sounds muted. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. . .

The docks were cold-cold and bleak. Celty sat at the ready by the side, out of sight. She watched as Izaya's footsteps echoed off the metal of the docks. Izaya entered the rundown building where he was met with curious looks and grunts.

"Wooh, didn't think you'd come this early." The leader said in his annoying wannabe way.

"Well, ya'know, I figured that Ikebukuro would be quite boring without Shizu-chan around." Izaya tried to keep calm and his heart in his chest. "So where is he?"

"Right here." The leader moved out of the way to reveal a tied up blond in a pretty bad state. Panic started to rise in his throat and he was careful not to let it on. "The money?"

Izaya put the sliver case down on the ground and kicked it over to the leader. He knelt down and counted the bills. Satisfied with the cash, the leader stood up. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, but this is too much of an opportunity to give up, so we're going to rid the city of both of you. Then that way we'll be the most powerful and feared gang in the whole city!" Izaya just cocked an eyebrow as the moron did that stupid laugh most wannabes do. "Alright, get him boys!"

Izaya braced himself as the people crowded around him armed with pipes, bats, and crowbars. And what did Izaya have, his little switch blade. So, what to do. Izaya saw only one option, fight! Two went into jump him. Unseen, Izaya slashed their chest, not killing them, but immobilizing them. Then a few more jumped in and Izaya didn't get away so easily. He slashed two of them and a third bashed his shoulder of his right arm, knocking it out of commission. Then another crowbar came across his face, sending Izaya into a dizzy spell. Shizuo watched in horror and confusion. How the hell could Izaya survive getting hit with a vending machine unscaved, yet get hurt by a crowbar? Where is the logic in this? Let's just blame the cold. He had to do something.

Putting through the pain, Shizuo found his feet. Magically, he went unnoticed as he stepped through the loop his tide hands made and bradded a near-by pipe. He stalked up onto the leader, who should have been watching and stuck. It was then that everyone else realized the Shizuo wasn't completely immobile. A few members, all in the name of their injured leader, went after him. Shizuo was in no condition to fight, but he pushed on anyway.

After only a few blows by pipes and kicks, Izaya was down for the count, where the beatings weren't any better. Something hard met his stomach, knocking he air, and some blood, right out of him. Then suddenly, it stopped. Izaya wasn't sure why. He figured he was just dying. So-he looked over towards Shizuo, who was still on his feet, still fighting-even though the people attacking them had stopped. What was happening? Before he got his answer, Izaya was overcome by darkness . . . and the scent of a light cologne.

* * *

><p>Sorry it took so long. I've been playing with my new sewing machine.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

_It continues. . . _

_. . ._

_And for those who asked, I got a Brother's sewing machine for Christmas and I was making stuff like pillows and failed outfits for my monster high dolls. Still need to work on it. _

_. . . _

Chapter 9: Nine Boobilious Girls

. . .

It was quiet. Much to quiet for Shizuo's liking. He had gotten use to Djali's noise making that he wasn't use to quiet. Djali-the poor little thing must be going frantic wondering where he was. Just after arriving at the hospital, Shizuo sent Celty over to his apartment to check on his puppy. She hadn't come back yet, so he figured that she stayed for a bit or just went home. After all, it would be silly if the headless rider hung around a hospital. Doctors might want to experiment and stuff. And poor Shinra wouldn't like that.

"Good morning!" Speak of the devil. "How's that leg of yours?" Shinra asked with a friendly smile.

"Beneficial to you." Shizuo grumbled trying to sit up.

"You really-" Shinra started up shut at the look Shizuo was giving him. "Never mind." Shinra pulled up a chair next to the bed. "So how did the great Heiwajima Shizuo get himself cough in a situation like that?"

"When a group of dumb asses come up from behind while smothering you with chloroform how do you not pass out and fall to the mercy of assholes." He blond groaned. Shinra could tell he was on edge. But from what?

"Shizuo, are you going through withdraws?" The blank look Shinra got confirmed his suspicions. "Well, here. I wasn't going to give these to you till you got out, but I see no harm." Shinra handed Shizuo the small box of cigarettes as he reached over and opened the window. "It's a get well gift from Simon."

"And yet he hates it when I smoke." Shizuo quickly poked out a smoke and lit it.

Things were quiet for a few minutes. Then Shinra swallowed hard. "So what are you going to about Izaya?" Shizuo just lowered his gaze.

"Why should I worry about him?" The denial in Shizuo's voice was clearly there. What was he hiding?

Shinra rolled his eyes. "Because of your feelings! It's obvious you care about him and that you want him with you! And-even though I know breaking patient doctor confidentiality-this needs to be said. Lately Izaya has been coming to talk to me-and by what he says, it sounds a lot like he's developed feelings for you." Shizuo just sat there quiet trying to calm down his nerves. "This could be your chance! He's in the next room over. If you get a chance, just go over and speak with him."

"I don't think so." Shizuo turned to look out the window. "Besides, I'm not sure that I can face him. I can't repay him for what he's done-how the hell do you expect me to talk to him?" The question was one the underground doctor couldn't answer.

"If that's how you feel, then there's nothing I can do to make you talk to him." Shinra stood up and head for the door. "I'll be back later to see you. I'm going to go check up on him. . . He's in pretty bad shape you know. His cold did not help him in the scuffle." Great job Shinra; way to make Shizuo feel completely guilty. He sighed heavily. What was he going to do? He truly did owe Izaya his life. Life sure was a bitch.

Izaya was still in his sleep. He wasn't quite comatose yet, but he was conscious yet. He was announced to be in a light coma, but Shinra didn't think it was a coma. Izaya was too strong for that. "Unlike, he accepts his feelings. He just doesn't know how to tell you. But I think he will. Someday he'll tell you he feels the same way. I know it. But I can only pray it happens soon." Shinra placed his hand over Izaya's before he left. Only after he left did Izaya's eyes flutter open. For that brief moment, he felt happy. He went back to sleep with a small smile on his face. . .

It took a lot of strength for Shizuo to stand on his leg, but he managed to find his feet and stumble into Izaya's room. Izaya was hooked up to bags of fluid and different machines to monitor his condition. He was beaten up pretty badly. A black eye, broken shoulder and humorous, and several broken ribs were the rice Izaya paid to save Shizuo's life. How was he ever going to repay his debt?

"Shizu. . . Chan?" A weak voice broke through the silence of the dark room. Shizuo looked up to find Izaya lying awake looking at him with those watery amber eyes of his.

"Izaya-how are you feeling?" Shizuo sounded a bit more frantic than necessary. "I mean-"

"I'll be ok. What *wince* about you?" Izaya sighed. "Where are we?"

"Shinra's home office couldn't handle a passed person who was injured and sick. You needed special care."

"Aw-and did you carry me?" Amazing. Even in his state, Izaya was still an idiot.

Shizuo just glared at him. "With my leg? You had a better chance at flying." Izaya chuckled. Shinra's voice and words were echoing in the back of his mind. _Because of your feelings! It's obvious you care about him and that you want him with you!_ Why did Shinra have to right? But Shizuo couldn't do it. Telling Izaya the truth wasn't worth it. Shinra's words might have been wrong. There could be no way Izaya felt the same he did. Izaya was too proud for that. But he was also full of surprises. He gave no real reason in the past recent events to disprove Shinra's words. So, maybe-

"You alright Shizu-chan?" Shizuo looked up as his thoughts were broken. "You're spacing out." Izaya was sitting up now and taking off his oxygen.

"Just thinking. I should go." Shizuo turned towards the door-

"Shizu-chan wait." The young men's eyes met and there was something there. Neither could tell what it was nor could they guess. All they knew was that one moment Shizuo was standing just centimeters away from Izaya and the next something no one but the two of knew happened. . .


	10. Chapter 10

_It continues. . . _

_. . ._

Chapter 10: Ten Scythes a Slashing

. . .

"What do you mean he just left?" Izaya shouted, hurting his rib cage.

"_The nurse said he checked out this morning._" Celty typed. "_And with Shizuo's reputation, no one says to him._"

"But, he couldn't have just-"

"_Stop it!_" Celty warned. "_You'll only hurt yourself. Now what is the big deal about Shizuo leave?_" Izaya didn't want to say anything about what happened the night before. He honestly didn't believe that it happened. The meds he was given were pretty heavy and possibly just caused his to hallucinate. But it felt very real. His heart started to race at the thought of what happened; only causing him more physical pain.

"It's not. Just curious." Celty know he was lying, but didn't say anything. Even though she was asked to find out who Shizuo wanted, she wasn't going to tell Izaya. Honestly, she was starting to enjoy this little dance the two of them had started.

"_Alright then._" She typed. "_Just call if you need anything._" Izaya nodded and laid back down turning on the TV.

Celty mounted her horse and rode off back to her shared apartment with Shinra. When she got back, she was greeted with a warm smiled and the usual Shinra way to get her in bed with him. "So how's the love sick puppy?" Shinra asked.

"_He's hiding something. I'm not sure what, but it has to do with Shizuo._" Celty typed. "_Do you know what Shizuo said to me one night when I helped him with work?_"

"What did he say?" Shinra asked slyly. He already knew the answer.

"_He said that he was in love with Izaya. Do you know anything about this?_"

The doctor smiled. "Only that Izaya feels the same way. He and I have been talking about it, as you know. And I'm willing to bet that last night Shizuo talked to Izaya and things got a little PG-13."

A chill ran up Celty's spine. "_You mean-you mean they-!_"

Shinra shrugged. "Who's to say? But like you said, _something_ happened." And Shinra was right. Something did happen. Something that neither of the two wanted to happen, but didn't know it would happen again. But not for some time. . .

Around ten in the morning. . .

"Are you sure?" Kasuka asked, holding the door open for his older brother. "I don't mind staying behind to help you."

"No-just go ahead." Shizuo reassured his younger brother. "If I need anything, I'll just call Tom."

"Ok." Shizuo was taking back a bit when his brother wrapped his arms around him. "I'll try and see you soon ok? Drink plenty of milk." Shizuo nodded as Kasuka left the apartment.

Shizuo was glad to be home. He sighed as he sat down on the couch with Djali who was more than glad to see him. The poor little puppy made it clear that he wasn't leaving his master's side anytime soon. And Shizuo was quite happy about that. He didn't need anything extravagant or luxurious; he just needed his couch, TV, remote, and ditsy puppy, Djali. While relaxing on his couch watching the news, Shizuo soon drifted off into sleep. . .

"_Izaya?" Shizuo asked as he felt something brush over his abdomen. He looked around and saw no one. So he decided to sit by the window of his high school. Then he found a shadow looming over him. Shizuo looked to find a shirtless Izaya. He had a grin painted on his face. Their eyes met and Shizuo felt his heart flutter in his chest. _

_Izaya held out his hand. "Get up off the sand you dummy." Izaya's voice was calm and charming. _

"_The sand?" Shizuo looked around and saw that he was at the beach. "Man it's hot out." Shizuo tugged at his collar. _

_Izaya chuckled. "Then take off your clothes." The sly snake wrapped his arms around the blonde's neck. "I want to see you." Izaya whispered into Shizuo's ear as he pressed himself against him. _

_Shizuo sighed heavily before collapsing onto a bed. A bed? Hear in the middle of the beach? No-in the middle of his bedroom. _

_Izaya pushed Shizuo down on the bed grinding their hips together. The sensation was truly thrilling for the debt collector. And as Izaya took the liberty of playing with his human toy, he teased the blond by slowly unbuttoning his white shirt that concealed the toned chest the leech so desperately wanted to see and feel. Free from the restrains the shirt provided, Izaya moved to rest in-between Shizuo's legs, steadily running chills down Shizuo's body. _

"_Dammit. It's ben too long." Izaya whispered as he fumbled with the buckle of Shizuo's belt and the button and zipper of his pants. This was the sinful part. This was the part where Izaya would sit up and remove the remainder of his clothing. After that he'd climb up on Shizuo and their lips would meet for a long moment. Then Izaya would move back down south to heat up the winter. The room was pretty cold, and the feeling of Izaya hot mouth on-_

Shizuo's eyes flew open. That dream again? Was that because of last night? But what happened was completely in the dark right? It was the pain killers. Yeah-the pain killers were screwing with his head. Both of their heads. That's why they-no! Shizuo wasn't going to think about it. No matter how much he liked it.

Shizuo's phone buzzed on the table. He reached over and found an email from Kanra.

"_Rumor has it you were beaten up pretty badly, are you ok?_"

"_Other than a broken leg, I'm fine. What have you heard?_" Shizuo responded.

"_Only that this gang was stupid enough to capture Heiwajima Shizuo and was nearly killed._" Kanra seemed well informed. "_According to all the chat rooms, the gang wants revenge. Think you can handle it if they cross your path?_" Could he? Shizuo was in no condition to fight. Standing with an infection coursing through his veins really wasn't a good idea. The hospital wanted to keep him for a few weeks, but no way in hell. So what if the assholes tried to fight him? Street signs make good walking sticks.

"_I'm sure I can handle them. Why so worried Kanra_?"

It was a while before Kanra replied. "_Because I'm a very curious person and I like to know the truth, even though rumors are fun._" Kanra cut the conversation. And Shizuo started wondering; who was this Kanra? And why did he/she care so much? What did he/she want?

Rarf!

Those thoughts were going to have to wait to be answered. Djali need attention . . .

Izaya was quite bored at the hospital. He had a private room, but that was anything really. The nurses and doctor kept bugging him. He was at the point where, if he had his coat, he would be throwing blades at people. His little chat with Shizuo had him worried. What if Shizuo did try to fight? Would he make it? Izaya decided that he wasn't going to run from his feelings anymore. He knew the truth-about him and Shizuo. He was in love-and dammit-he was going to be with the person he loved. He'd take a love-hate relationship over no love relationship at all. Now it was time to start planning.

* * *

><p>AN: This may be the last chapter for awhile. School goes back in session for me soon and I may not be able to update as much. So hang tight and don't lose your pants. All will be fine.


	11. Chapter 11

_It continues. . . _

_. . ._

Chapter 11: Eleven Phones A Ringing.

. . .

Tom, being the nice guy that he is, decided to take Shizuo and Djali out to lunch at our sushi joint. "The boss says it's going to suck not having you around for a while."

"Trust me, I wish I could." The trio had to sit at the counter due to the brace keeping Shizuo's leg from bending. "Hate being home with nothing to do." Djali was curled up sleeping underneath the chair where Shizuo was sitting.

"So what happened?" Tom asked sipping his tea.

"Douche bags and chloroform." Shizuo sighed. "One moment I'm walking down the street heading home and the next thing I know there's something covering my face and I went blank. When I come to I'm surrounded by a bunch of assholes."

Tom nodded. "So how'd you get out of that sticky mess?"

"Celty and Izaya oddly." Tom's eyes widened. "I know it sounds weird, but he did."

"That's really out of character for him. Normally he's trying to get you in trouble, not out of it." Tom was really confused. And so was everyone else. Even though Celty and Shinra accepted the fact that bother foes had a strong attraction to the other, but even they were clueless on why. Then again, the universe works in mysterious ways. . .

Shizuo insisted on walking himself home. He knew Tom had to get to work and didn't want to be a burden. It was bound to be a boring day. . .

Same with Izaya. He was sick of this hospital already. One more day of this and we was going to lose it. He kicked his blankets off and got out of bed feeling a pinch in his chest. He grabbed his pants that Celty brought over for him and wiggled his way inside them. He pulled off the hospital gown and slowly pulled his shirt on. He flinched a few times but he got it on. The same with his coat. Knowing they wouldn't him just walk out the front door, Izaya decided to use the fire escape. He grabbed his phone and the cherry jello off the bed-side table and down the latter he went.

The air hit his face hard and his zipped his coat all the way up and clutched his good arm against his chest. His other arm was fine due to the cast. Now for the fun part-walking through the snow with a broken rib cage. . .

The cold air was hard to breathe in. It stung his chest, like little needles constantly poking him. He eventually decided to take a break and sat down on a near-by bench. The snow fluttered down in front of his face and started to weigh heavily on Izaya's shoulders. He hugged himself to try and keep warm. Then he felt something fall over him. Izaya looked up as Shizuo sat on the bench next to and lit a cigarette.

"Still inhaling that crap?" Izaya smirked as Djali sat down eyeing him.

"It's how I put up with you." Shizuo said taking an inhale.

"I thought that's why you threw vending machines." Izaya smirked. But it soon faded. "What happened the other night? Why did you-"

"Forget that happened. It was a mistake." Shizuo sighed. "It never should have happened." Izaya was partly relieved, yet heartbroken to hear it.

"Then I guess Shinra was wrong." Izaya whispered hanging his head.

Shizuo eyed him suspiciously. "Shinra?"

"Don't worry about it." Izaya pulled himself to his feet and continued on his way home. Shizuo just watched as he let this perfect chance slip by. This wasn't the time he told himself. They were both injured and confused. So now-it just didn't feel right. Shizuo knew that he had to confess his feelings, but how to do was going to be a completely different matter. . .

Izaya collapsed on his bed frustrated. "Fuck you Heiwajima!" He yelled out at the walls with an angry face. Why was he so angry all of a sudden? Was it because he was hurt? Or was it the simple fact that Shizuo was just a jerk? Whatever the reason, tears started to flow down his face. He rolled over onto his good arm and hid his face in his pillow. . .

"You know crying over spilt milk isn't going to solve anything." Namie said while poking a needle into a cap of a small vile.

"Whatever." Izaya frowned. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"It's worked on all the other people we've tested it on. I see no reason why it wouldn't work on you." Izaya nodded as he tried not to flinch while a sharp needle was poked into his shoulder. Namie's medical company had an injection that helps one's bone reformation. It was testing on a lot of people with fractures and broken bones and their bones healed quicker. So, our favorite little information broker decided that he wasn't going to wait the usual eight to twelve weeks. "Now, don't try anything stupid. It'll take a good forty-eight hours before you can really start to move the arm and muscles." Izaya nodded and squeezed his eyes closed as a second needle met his arm.

"I don't care." Izaya said coldly. "I'm going to make him pay." Only Izaya knew what Izaya was planning.


	12. Chapter 12

_It continues. . . _

_. . ._

Chapter 12: Twelve Screaming Fan Girls

. . .

Chat Room

Kanra: "So rumor has it Orihara Izaya and Heiwajima Shizuo got into fight!"

Setton: "Yeah. Both had to be taken to the hospital. Shizuo left after just one day. And Izaya snuck out the next day and hasn't really been seen since."

Bakyura: "I wonder if something is going on between those two."

Setton: "Oh, there is. The two are just too cowardly to do anything about it."

Tanaka Taro: "Could you imagine those two together?"

Kanra: "Would it be a bad thing or a god thing?"

Setton: "It'd be a good thing more than bad. Street signs and vending machines might suffer less abuse. But on the other hand-the two might possibly kill each other."

Saika: "True. To you think that they've confessed their love for each other yet?"

Saika: "Doubt it."

Tanaka Taro: "Highly."

Bakyura: "Ditto!"

Kanra: "And what if they did? What if they were at home right now role playing?"

Setton: "That's a little too scary to think about!"

Bakyura: "It could explain why people aren't dying in Ikebukuro right now."

Saika: "Who's on top and who's on bottom?"

Kanra: "Shizuo is defiantly seme and Izaya's uke. The taller of the two is always seme. And Shizuo has the personality for it."

Setton: "But Izaya seems to have the sex drive to be seme."

Bakyura: "Oh! Guess we'll find out soon! After all-everyone's starting to crack out the mistletoe. And then maybe Kanra might get his ass handed to him."

Kanra: "Are you still holding that grudge?"

Setton: "What grudge?"

Bakyura: "Maybe. Well, I've got to go peeps. Later!"

Setton: "Same."

Saika: "Night everyone."

Tanaka Taro: "Good night."

Kanra: "Later."

-There is no one in chat room-

Izaya sat back in his desk chair staring at his computer monitor. It had been a really long day. It started with the injections into his rib cage to help his few cracked ribs heal. That wasn't such a good idea on an empty stomach and Namie had no sympathy for him either. She figured a grown man would know to eat before taking strong medication. So Izaya was in the bathroom for a good half hour. After that . . .

A few hours earlier. . .

Izaya happily pranced through Ikebukuro with the snow crunching underneath his feet. Why-because Izaya was putting his plan into action. A simple, well thought out plan, might he just add. Step one was rolling into play-window shopping! What? The holidays were coming and Izaya did love the holidays.

So walking merrily through the streets, Izaya was interrupted by a somewhat upset looking headless rider. "_What the hell do you think you're doing?_" Celty typed a little too quickly on her phone. "_Where the hell have you been? And what happened to your arm?_"

Izaya just casually glance at his shoulder and arm where a tick and heavy cast use to sit. "Oh that-Namie's pharmaceutical lab has an injection that helps the healing process of bone and cartilage." Izaya grinned proudly pulling up both of his arms. "It really works."

"_I heard about that. But why leave the hospital?_" Celty asked. "_Did you hope to buddy-up with Shizuo?_"

Izaya felt his face starting to get hot. "No! I just didn't see the point of just sitting around a hospital with nothing to do."

"_Right._" Celty wasn't convinced. "_So did you tell Shizuo the truth?_"

He shook his head and started walking again with Celty slowly riding next to him. "I ran into him afterwards though. And he pretty much said it wasn't going to happen between us."

"_He's just scared._" Celty reassured. "_He'll come around._"

"Oh-I know. But not without a reason, he won't do anything." That's where Celty started getting intrigued. "See, Shizuo doesn't know it yet, but rumor has it, Orihara Izaya is currently in a relationship. But with who, I haven't figured out yet."

"_So you plan to make him jealous?_"

"Yes. Just not sure who would be a good sidekick." The two were really stumped.

"_I know it's a really big leap, but what about Kasuka?_" Celty suggestion was genius.

"Have I ever mentioned how magnificent you are?" Izaya wrapped his arms around Celty. "Just one question, how do we get in contact with him?"

The two thought for a moment and then Celty signaled for Izaya to hop on her horse and the two rode off. First they stopped at Celty's and Shinra's shared apartment, or love house as Shinra might call it.

"Celty-Izaya!" Shinra cocked an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

"_Izaya's concocting a plan to make Shizuo jealous and get them together._" Celty typed. "_We're going to Hiroshima to find Kasuka. We need to ask him something._"

"Why Kasuka? And what's this plan?" Shinra asked pushing up his glasses.

"Simple really. So simple, I'm not going to tell you, because then Shizu-chan will find out I'm up to something and you'll be the first to blab your mouth.'' Izaya smirked. "But long story short, I'm borrowing Celty, mostly because I need her help."

A cloud of loneness rose above Shinra's head. "Ok. Just come back soon Celty!" They shared what one'd guess you'd call a kiss and were off. Leaving Shinra to wonder how Izaya's fractures healed so quickly. . .

The ride to Hiroshima about two hours. Once in the grand historic city, Izaya whipped out his laptop and did a search on Kasuka's where-abouts. He learned that Kasuka would be in the Kamiyacho District doing something to promote a new movie. But as luck would have it, they didn't have to travel far. Celty spotted a nonchalant looking young man who resembled Shizuo in quite a few ways. She dismounted her horse and approached him. Izaya just watched as Celty typed something on her phone to him. Not long after, Kasuka nodded and sat down at the table of the café where Izaya sat.

"Orihara Izaya, am I correct?" Izaya nodded. "You're the one Shizuo told me about."

"Was Shizu-chan talking about me in a positive way? Or was he threating to kill me, like always?"

Kasuka sat down across from Izaya and next to Celty. "No. More of like a how-do-I-tell-him-how-I-really-feel kinda way." Things were quiet for a moment then Celt broke the ice.

"Kasuka, do you mind if we ask you something?" She typed. "It might be a little awkward, but we think it could help Shizuo come to his senses."

"Sure. What is it?" Kasuka asked.

"How would mind us posing as a couple?" Kasuka tiled his head. "When it comes down to you being his little brother, Shizu-chan will do just about anything for you. So, if we pose as a couple and everything goes right, maybe Shizu-chan will intervene and say what he really wants."

"So you want to use me to get him?" Izaya nodded and Kasuka gave him a small smile. "If it'll make my brother happy, or at least try to make him happy, then I say let's do it." Kasuka held out his hand to Izaya and it was confirmed. "So are you ready to get beat up by a bunch of fan girls?"

Izaya smirked. "I'm sure I can get around them." Celty couldn't believe it. Just like that, even though it was the first day they had met and they were agreeing to something like this. Then again, Celty didn't always understand humans, let along human men. . .


	13. Chapter 13

_It continues. . . _

_. . ._

Chapter 13: Time to Start The Chapters With a New Song

. . .

December 13, the days were getting closer and closer to the holidays. There weren't a lot of Jewish people in Japan that Izaya knew of. All he knew was that today, he would set up his chess board and lay out his plan with Kasuka, who was on his way over to Izaya's apartment. Just that morning Izaya was woken up by a text message from Kasuka and he start sprucing up. Not that there needed to be much sprucing up. But still, he made tea and had some small finger foods ready.

When the doorbell rang, he took the tea kettle off the burner and walked over to answer the door. "Wow," Izaya greeted Kasuka. "You managed to get away?"

"For the time being." Kasuka said stepping inside Izaya's apartment. "Just told my producers that Shizuo need my help with something." A sneaky smirk rose on his face and Izaya smiled.

"Not a total lie. You're a very smart kid." Izaya led Kasuka to the living/study room. "How cold is it out today?"

"Cold enough for a chance of snow." Izaya looked out of his windows and over the snowy blanket that covered everything. He walked back over to the kitchen to finish with the tea. He brought it out and set it on the coffee table next to his laptop. "So how is this going to work?"

"Acting like a mere couple won't be enough to prove anything to Shizu-chan. But then again-" Izaya paused. "He cares so much about you that he might just believe anything the tabloids say."

"That's Shizuo for you." Kasuka said sipping his tea.

"So here's the lay out." Izaya's plan-flaunt Kasuka around hope that Shizuo notices before the fan girls kill him. . . And possible fan boys. Once Shizuo takes notice, that's where Celty and Shinra come into play. They have to get him to take action. And after all is said and done, what would happen with Kasuka? Izaya made it clear that there was nothing between them. The most they would be is real good friends. . .

For their public debut, the new 'couple' walked hand-in-hand to Russia Sushi. There, they sat at the counter acting like a lovey-dovey couple. Simon was a little complex about it, but didn't ask questions. The two caught several eyes and glares, mostly from women. Just the attention Izaya was hoping for.

When they came to the park, they found it was littered with the paparazzi and fan girls. Word must have spread really fast, faster than anticipated.

"Izaya. I think we should get out of here." Kasuka whispered. "You know, before they start giving demands and or someone gets hurt."

Izaya nodded and grabbed Kasuka's hand and headed down a near-by alley. Kasuka kept a look-out from behind as Izaya lead the way forward. With the cost clear, they entered a medium sized shopping mall. "We can hide out here for a bit. Hopefully." Izaya sighed. "DO you always get that much attention?"

"We're in Japan." Kasuka stated. "Of course I do." The two shared a laugh before wondering off to find something to do. They held hands, just to keep up appearances.

It was around five o'clock and the sun was starting to set. Izaya and Kasuka had taken up to food at the food court. Passer-byers shared their stares and looks. "So, how do you and Shizuo know each other?"

"We met some time in high school." The memory of the first day, where it all started, brought a smile to Izaya's face. "We've really been trying to kill each other ever since."

"So it's a love hate thing between you to?" Kasuka licked his ice cream.

"More hate than love, but yeah, pretty much." Just then Kasuka's cell phone started to go off.

He mouthed excuse me and turned his back to Izaya and answered his call. "Hello?" Izaya spun around idly watching the people passing by. "Yeah, Onii-san?" Kasuka cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah. Kinda just met and started talking." A smirk rose on the actor's face. "Alright, then I guess I'll be right over. See you soon." Kasuka shut his phone and turned back to Izaya.

"So what did Shizu-chan have to say?" The info-broker asked twirling his pocket knife on his finger.

"Whatever you have planned, I think it's working." A smile rose on both of their faces. "Onii-san's heard the news, so I gotta go." Just to put on a show for the crowds watching, Kasuka brushed his lips against Izaya's and hurried. A smile plastered on his face, Izaya left the place where humans mingle and flipped open his phone. The internet had blown up with pictures of him and Kasuka together. Word spread fast and now, because fan girls are like dogs fighting for food, Izaya word have to watch his back.

While Izaya was off doing whatever, Kasuka met up with his brother at his apartment.

Shizuo was on the couch flipping through channels while Djali spun around in circles chasing after dust. Kasuka shrugged and wondered over to the couch and sat down on the chair next his older brother. "No Christmas specials?" Instead of answering, Shizuo flipped back to the news channel and something came up.

"_Fan girls are in an uproar!_" The news reporter said. "_Teen idol Yuuhei Hanejima was seen in this shopping center today with a strappingly handsome young man. Eye witness believe that by the sight of things the two have become a couple-_"

"What is Izaya planning?" Shizuo asked.

"I'm not entirely sure really." Kasuka scratched his head. "But I do know he's a pretty good kisser." Shizuo looked away trying to hide the blush on his face.

"So you're just dating him for the fun of it?" Shizuo mumbled.

"Not entirely." The blond looked back over to his younger brother. "See, I want to get to know this guy. Ya know, try and see what you see in him." The two shared a laugh and tried to find something to watch while Djali chased after snowflake shadows falling past the windows. . .

Izaya was wondering through the streets of the Ikebukuro district. He stopped when he came to a door. He stood there for several minutes before placing a wrapped box and a card on the door step. He slipped away into the cold of the winter night. . .

A/N: Wow. . . Long time. Sorry for the short chapter and long wait, I've been working on other stories and school stuff. But my friend has given me some ideas, so don't worry.


	14. Chapter 14

_It continues. . . _

_My friend was the inspiration for this chapter. She has one hell of an imagination when it comes to this crap. _

_. . ._

Chapter 14: One Silent Night

. . .

It was early in the morning and Shizuo was sound asleep. But that didn't mean he was quiet. Djali, if the Shiba Inu could talk, could tell you that the blond was far from quiet in his sleep. Shizuo was still having similar dreams like before. Only they were getting more intense. . .

_Shizuo merely sat on the couch smoking a cigarette in the information broker's apartment. He sat there thinking to himself about why the hell he was there. He really didn't have any reason why he had to be there. Izaya knew that if Kasuka was hurt in any way he was a dead man, not that he wasn't always a dead man. So again, why was he sitting here nonchalantly smoking in Izaya's apartment? _

_A pair of bare arms wrapped around his neck. "Were you waiting long?" A coy voice asked softly in his ear. _

_The blond spun around and off the couch to find a half-naked black haired man with cat ears and a tail was standing just centimeters away from him. "What the-"_

_A seductive grin rose on sly man's face. "What's wrong Shizu-chan?" A blush quickly rose on Shizuo's face and he stumbled backwards as Izaya moved forward up against him. He tilted back his ears, flicked his tail, and meowed against the debt-collector's chest. Shizuo took an overstep back and fell onto the floor. Izaya took full advantage over the situation and straddled Shizuo's waist. "You're trembling." Izaya grinned devilishly. _

_Shizuo was speechless, all he could do was literally sit back and watch as Izaya toyed with him. He didn't know what to think or what to do. All sense started to leave his being as the furry dressed man started smiling and started licking his nose. . . _

Shizuo's eyes fluttered open to find and gray and white little puppy panting in face. "Djali, you little pipsqueak." The blond grumbled sitting up the best he could. The recollection of his early morning dream played hockey in his head. "And here I thought I was over it. Then again," He grumbled as he grabbed one of his crutches and stumbled over to the window. "It's only been a few days." Djali barked and jumped off the bed waddling his way over into the kitchen and sat down by his bowl waiting for his master.

Shizuo had become more sluggish in the morning since the gang incident. He still wanted to kick himself for letting it happen. But he'd have to let it go for now. He had bigger things worry about, like his brother hanging around with that blood sucking flea. Just the thought of them even being in same room was enough to get his blood boiling. But why? Yeah, his brother was old enough to think for himself, but that wasn't enough to make him this mad, or was it? Just about anything was enough to make him angry, so what made this any different? Not having a single clue on how to answer that question, Shizuo went about his daily routine.

As Djali happily ate his food as Shizuo sat at the table drinking his milk and eating cereal. He checked his email, no new messages. With nothing really to do, he figured he'd watch the news. But that plan failed. All they talked about was Kasuka and his new 'boy-toy'. That seemed like a pretty big slap in the face to him. But, as far as he was concerned, he didn't care. Nothing was ever going to happen between him and Izaya. And that was enough to give him a case of guilt and heartache. . .

While his master moped on the couch, Djali watched the door. When a shadow appeared, he started growling and the second the door opened, he pounced on the foot of the headless rider. Celty looked down at the little fur ball that was molesting her foot and shook her 'head'. Shizuo sat up and greeted her with a nod and noticed the white box she had in her hand. "What's that?" Shizuo ask and Celty just shrugged.

Shutting the door behind her, Celty set the box on Shizuo's lap and took out her phone. "_Found it outside your door. Someone's trying to spread some holiday cheer._" She typed.

"Ok." The blond said as he lifted up the card from the top of the box. He opened it.

_I feel really bad about what happened. This will hopefully help your leg. _

Shizuo eyed the card for a moment. Something about it smelled familiar. He took a second whiff of the card and he had his answer. "Izaya." He grumbled. "What does he think he's doing?"

"_By the way the letter sounds, he's giving you an early Christmas present._" Celty was more or less smiling. "_It could be the same injections he used on his arm and ribs._"

Shizuo opened the box and held out a syringe with a light green colored substance. "Hey Celty, do you know what Izaya has planned?"

A smirk would have risen on Celty's face if she had a face, but she was smirking on the inside. "_I do, but I'm not telling you until you quit being stubborn and go and tell that you love him!_"

Shizuo was blank faced. He would never understand why females felt it was so important for men to confess their feelings. So he didn't want to tell Izaya how he felt. It was for the best. "Not going to happen." He said rummaging through the box.

"_Fine._" Celty typed. "_Here, let me do this._"

It took about a good hour to get the cast off, find the correct injection points, and calm Shizuo down enough to relax. He fell back into a sound sleep, which Celty was grateful for. She took out her phone and sent a message to Izaya.

"_What do you hope to accomplish by helping him heal quicker? Do you really think he'll come out to you this way?_"

It was only a few seconds before she got an answer. "_Yes I do. Maybe not right away, but he will. Especially if the plan if the Kasuka goes right._"

"_But if your plan fails?_" Celty asked. "_What if, in the end, Shizuo only gets hurt and never wants anything to do with you? Did you ever think that this whole thing could go terribly wrong?_"

"_If worst come to worst, then I really don't know._" Izaya wrote back. "_If that happened then I guess I'd have a lot of graveling to do._"

Celty shook her head. "_All I'm saying is maybe you should drop all of this and just tell Shizuo how you feel. He won't admit it, but really, all of this is just eating him up on the inside. It has for a really long time._"

Izaya just sat back in his couch watching the news. Reading Celty's message got him thinking. Maybe he should just tell Shizuo the truth. But he had taken a while to accept the truth, how could he just come out and tell the blond his feelings? Did Shizuo share those same feelings? If so, how long had they been brewing up inside him like this? It really made his head spin.

After a while, Izaya gave up asking questions and laid his butt down on the couch. After about a half hour of watching mindless television, he fell into a sound snooze. . .

_Izaya laid on his back on the floor of his studio apartment and he wasn't alone. Shizuo was with him and racking his body with sinful pleasure. As both men started to reach their full climax, Izaya clung on tightly to the blond above him. Shizuo whispered sweet nothings in his ear causing his companion to make his release in the process of making his own. The two men laid like that for several minutes. A smile rose on Izaya's face and he pressed his lips against Shizuo's. _

"_I kinda don't want to move." Shizuo whispered. _

_Izaya grinned at him. "I feel the same-however-I am going to need a shower before Namie comes home and witnesses us lying on the floor naked." The smaller man chuckled. _

"_True." Shizuo ran a hand through his now tangled blond hair. "Can't be helped then." Shizuo got up off of Izaya grabbing his cigarettes from his pants' pockets and walking over to the window on lightly wobbly legs. Izaya pulled himself up off the floor and stumbled his way over to the taller man and wrapped his arm around his torso. _

_Izaya snuggled his head into Shizuo's back. The blond turned around to face the smaller dark haired man who had a grin glued to his face. "The bathroom's this way." Izaya held up the blonde's hand and let it go as he turned around and ran off to the bathroom like a teenage girl. _

"_I'll be there is a moment, don't worry." Shizuo said taking a drag of his cigarette._

_Izaya turned on the hot water and stepped inside the shower letting the trails of the water made run down his back. Shizuo stepped in shortly afterwards wrapping his arms around Izaya's chest and kissing the back of his neck. Izaya laughed and placed his hands over top of Shizuo's manly hands. "The whole point of a shower is to clean ourselves, not to make more of a mess." The sly man grinned. _

"_Wasn't planning on it," Shizuo said kissing just under the corner of Izaya's jaw. "Unless that's what you want."_

"_I want a lot of things." Izaya whispered. "And some way or another I always manage to get them." And it was true. Izaya had this really interesting way to get whatever he wanted and Shizuo was no exception. _

_The blond shrugged. "If you say so." Shizuo starts to message Izaya's shoulders earning soft moans from the body in front of him. _

_Izaya whipped around and pressed his lips against the blonde's firmly. Shizuo ran a hand through Izaya's wet hair as his presses their lips even tighter together. Izaya honestly felt like he was going to melt. This was what he wanted. . ._

The sound of vibrations made him spring out of his dream. Once Izaya realized he was back in reality, he groaned in frustration completely ignoring his phone. "Heiwajima Shizuo. . . why are you haunting me?"


	15. Chapter 15

_It continues. . . _

_. . ._

Chapter 15: A Mad Russian Christmas

. . .

Shizuo, even though he woke up on the couch, felt more refreshed and energized than he had in days. He kicked his legs over the side and was surprised that the pain was completely gone! His break was completely healed! The shock took over him for a moment before he actually started to move about his apartment. He even did the little hop on one leg thing and giggled a bit. A smile rose on Shizuo's face and he scooped up his little dog. "So Djali, how about a bath?" The Shiba inu's ears went down at the thought, but he didn't put up a fight. The water in the kitchen sink was warm and very relaxing and the feeling of soap being massage into his fur was really enjoyable.

After bath time, Shizuo dressed in regular clothes, navy jeans and a white cashmere sweater. He slipped on his shoes and he and Djali were out the door. No way were they staying inside all day. The two decided on a walk through the city. Djali chased the snowflakes the drifted everywhere as Shizuo lit a cigarette. From behind he heard the whinny of a horse. He was soon met with Celty and a very stunned Shinra.

"Shizuo-how did you-when did you-?" Shinra's arms were flailing as he stumbled off Celty's horse over to the blond. Djali growled and barked as Shinra neared. "What the hell happened?" The doctor asked analyzing Shizuo's leg. "There's no way you healed _this_ fast!"

"Izaya thought it'd be nice to spread some holiday cheer." He grinned sadistically and cracked his knuckles at the statement. "So, if I come across him today, I'm going to thank him."

"_Are you sure about that?_" Celty asked. "_There's that festival today and he's going to be with Kasuka._"

"I know, Kasuka told me." Shizuo stated lighting a cigarette. "To be fair to my brother, I won't inflect any 'physical' pain. A simple thanks and I'll kill you later will work." He cracked his knuckles and Djali did his own little version of cracked his neck. Celty shook her head.

"So you two are still suppressing your sexual desires?" Shinra soon regretted the question as Shizuo gave him a glare that could make the snow and ice feel like boiled water. Djali also shared in the glare giving. "Uh-never mind." Shinra backed over behind Celty, which was probably a smart choice.

Shizuo groaned. "Look, I'm not suppressing anything. I talked it over with my therapist and he agrees, based on the past between Izaya and I that this is as far as our relationship goes." The scary blond laid down the law and walked off with Djali on his heels.

Celty quickly typed on her phone. "_We're getting them together. This is getting ridiculous._"

Shinra nodded. "It is. I'm pretty sure that once Shizuo engages in sexual activity, his anger problems should decrease."

"_You think?_" Celty asked.

"Well I wouldn't be a very good doctor if I didn't, Celty." A grin rose on his face as he mounted Celty's horse and they were off. . .

"So what are the chances we'll be in some type of trouble by the end of the day?" Izaya asked zipping up his jacket.

"Form Onii-san, I'm not sure." Kasuka said standing up from the couch. "But the fans, **a lot**."

"I think I'd rather deal with your brother." It was true. Fan girls and the occasional guy or two, they were in very few words, pissed at Izaya. He didn't understand why, but he figured this seemed like a good way to study the emotion of jealousy from other people. Oh how he did love humans.

The festival was full of happy people, some dressed in winter time kimonos, eating food, oh the delicious food, and just having a good time. Figuring it was a good idea on both of their parts, Izaya and Kasuka held hands, but not with their fingers interlocked with each other. Just an innocent _we're-friends-holding-hands_ type thing. But no matter how well you summed it up, the fan girls and boys were quite irritated. (Erica was one of those fan girls) . . .

"Sushi good!" A very familiar voice sounded out into the air. "Try it, you no puke, I promise!" Izaya grinned. "Ah, Izaya! You want sushi, no?"

"Hey, Simon." Izaya saluted back at him. "This weather remind you of home yet?"

"Ah-yes it does. It reminds me of homeland." Simon noticed then that Kasuka was holding Izaya's hand. "Izaya, why is famous actor boy holding onto your hand?"

Izaya shook his head. "Didn't you get the memo Simon? Yuuhei and I decided that the holiday season isn't any fun just being by yourself." Izaya pulled Kasuka up to him and warped a single arm over his shoulders. With a grin plastered on his face, and someone pushing the slow-mo button, Izaya pressed his lips against Kasuka's. Gasps and screams filled the sir: all from fan girls. Kasuka didn't know what to think other than act like this meant something to him. Then the sound of knuckles cracking rippled through the air. Izaya pulled away from Kasuka and just stared at Shizuo. "Hey Shizu-chan."

A sadistic grin rose on Shizuo face. "Izaya-!" The older brother growled.

"Now look Shizu-chan-we can talk about this right?" Izaya said as he started to back up. Shizuo took a slow step towards Izaya who chuckled like Shinra when he knew Shizuo was about to snap. What was the best thing to in this situation? The only thing you could do was drop your shit, say a prayer, and run like Speedy Gonzales because you're gonna die! "I'll be back in a little while Yuuhei."

Izaya bolted like a matador running from the bull he just pissed off by shooting arrows in its butt. "Izaya!" While chasing after the fleeting man he saw as a pest, he grabbed a nearby sign in mid stride and ripping it from the ground. "You're dead!"

"Now, now Shizu-chan!" Izaya leaped over a table placing it between him and his raging bull. "Can't we talk, like little kids and not grown men?"

Shizuo stopped his stampede to catch his breath. "Not a chance." Reclining his arm, the debt collector chucked his sign straight for Izaya's head. The broker ducked and tried to bypass the blond, but Shizuo grabbed his arm in a twisting manor behind Izaya's back. "What are you doing with Kasuka?" Shizuo growled while twisting Izaya's arm. "And don't bother lying!"

Izaya let out a sign. "Simple, Kasuka and I are merely posing as a couple, which you could easily figure out." Pulling the switch blade out of his sleeve, Izaya sliced the air between the two of them, wiggling free. "But I do have a motive, and that you'll have to figure out for yourself."

Shizuo regained his footing just long enough swing his fist to make contact with Izaya's face. Izaya started to fall back. As he did, he grabbed Shizuo's wrist pulling him down to the ground with him. Shizuo landed on his hands and knees just above Izaya and his heart started to race. Izaya held a hand over his one eye while locking his other with Shizuo's. Time seemed to stop and both men's breathing quickened with their heart rates. Silently to himself, Izaya hoped that Shizuo would kiss him.

Shizuo head began spinning and he clenched his fist. Swallowing hard, Shizuo stood up shaking his head. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed in frustration. Forgetting that he should never have his back turned towards Izaya, Shizuo spun around, pretty much to just yell at him, but was caught off guard when Izaya suddenly stood up capturing his lips. Shizuo froze. Shock racked his brain and blood rushed into his cheeks. Everything drowned out around them and he lost whatever self-control he had.

Pulling the smaller of the two close to him, Shizuo clutched onto Izaya tightly. One hand pulling his head closer, and the other resting on his lower back. Izaya gave no protest. He gladly gave in. Things were going better than he hoped. He tightly wrapped his around the taller man's neck. The kiss was hot and passionate. Also dangerous. Shizuo knew he had to stop, but he couldn't will himself to do it. But someone had the power-

_**Munch!**_

Izaya broke away from Shizuo. His shoulder stiffened while twitching up to his ears. In a second, the black haired man let out a shrill of pain and fell back on his butt inspecting his ankle. There he found a bleeding bite mark. A small, bleeding bite mark. He looked up in disbelief as his eyes met those of a happily panting Shiba Innu puppy.

"Arf!" The tiny dog panted wagging his tail happily.

Izaya narrowed his eyes. "Just when things were getting good." The broker mumbled. That little dog he thought was cute at first was now an obstacle he'd have to overcome. "Hey, Shizu-" The smaller man stood up looking for the blond man, but he seemed to have disappeared. The tiny puppy waddled off, most likely to follow his master. Izaya could have followed, but he needed some time to think. With a heavy sigh, he ran back to the fair to meet up with Kasuka. There was some planning that needed to be done. . .

Djali sat on the lap of his master wagging his tail. Shizuo handed him a dumpling and happily ate it. The blond sighed heavily picking up his warm honey milk. The feelings from earlier squeezing his chest and suffocating his mind. The room was getting hot and his body twitchy. There was only one cure for this-I cold shower!

Putting the rest of the dumplings in Djali's bowl, which the small dog didn't mind, Shizuo shut off his TV and turned on his faucet in his shower to cold and got in. After his cold shower, he was off to bed to try and forget today's events. Djali soon joined him with a full tummy. The two were soon sound asleep and off to dream land. . .

"So by Christmas then?" Kasuka asked taking a sip of his tea.

"I guess so." Izaya wasn't so sure at the moment. He was pretty tired. Dealing with Shizuo and obsessed fans all day-he had no idea that it'd take so much out of him. With a light nod and a hand shake, Kasuka was on his way home, and Izaya off to bed.

Winter is a funny season and brings people together in a strange way. Who's to say Izaya and Shizuo won't come together, despite their past? Though Djali was a tiny dog, he had a plan of his own.

* * *

><p>I know the ending kinda sucked, I'm sorry. But I'm having a bit of writes block. I'm willing to take any ideas and or suggestions. Next chapter coming as soon as it can.<p> 


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